Metal Anarchy

Marilyn Manson has settled a lawsuit with an unidentified woman, who previously claimed that he had raped her and threatened to “bash her head in.” The deal was made before the case was set to go to trial next week.

The woman, who was referred to as “Jane Doe,” issued the following statement to Rolling Stone:

“I was fully prepared for trial and never in a million years thought I would ever settle, but over the past two-and-a-half years I have silently endured threats, bullying, harassment and various forms of intimidation that have intensified over the past few weeks.

Marilyn Manson attended my deposition, and I was forced to answer seven hours of aggressive questioning with him staring at me from across the table. I’ve been told that this almost never happens, as it’s cruel, and that a main reason for it would be to intimidate and inflict emotional distress on a victim.

I never cared about money and only ever wanted justice, but if we had gone to trial, I could have lost my right to anonymity and been victim-blamed on a large and public scale. Most importantly I could have risked losing the freedom to tell my story, and that is worth more than anything in the world.”

She also added:

“If any other victims are reading this. please know that you are loved and supported even if it doesn’t feel that way, and that in spite of everything I’ve been through I don’t for one second regret speaking up.”

Manson‘s attorney Howard King also commented:

“Brian is pleased that, just as previous lawsuits were abandoned without payment or settled for pennies on the dollar, this plaintiff has now agreed to drop her suit in exchange for an insurance payment representing a fraction of her demands and far less than the cost to Brian of proceeding to trial.”

As previously reported, Manson has been facing allegations from a number of women who came forward after being inspired by Evan Rachel Wood, who claimed that the shock rocker “horrifically abused [her] for years.” Among those who shared their stories were Ashley Morgan Smithline, who accused him of sexual assault before recanting her statements, Esmé Bianco, who recently settled a lawsuit in which she accused him of abuse and human trafficking, Bianca Allaine, who described him as the “most terrifying person [she has] ever met in [her] life,” his former assistant Ashley Walters, who filed a since dismissed lawsuit after accusing him of sexual assault, sexual battery, sexual harassment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, etc., and another unidentified woman, who filed a lawsuit after claiming the frontman sexually assaulted her when she was only 16 years old.

For his part, Manson has continued to deny the allegations, while also lamenting the impact they have had on his career. He also filed a lawsuit against Wood for defamation.